Summer Travels

If you are taking a long car ride to grandma’s house this summer or going on a trip, remember what you did to pass the time in the car…watch movies? Play DS games? Listen to your I-pod or play on your I-phone? No…because none of those things were available and unbelievably we survived and got in some good quality family time in the process. Your family can do it too! Here are some ideas to pass the time on a long car ride, share some real quality family conversation and have some laughs in the process without needing power cords or chargers. I’ll bet you’ll remember some of these too and smile at the fond memories they bring back. Keep this list in your glove box for future use.

  • Play eye spy (I spy something red with white lettering-Stop Sign)
  • Play Twenty questions
  • I’m going on a picnic and I’m bringing… (each thing begins with the next letter of the alphabet)
  • Play the license plate game (find a license plate from as many states in the country as possible)
  • Another license plate game – Use the letters in the license plate to make up a funny phrase. For example: SPS-123 =Some People Snort.
  • Find signs with the letters in the alphabet
  • Car Bingo (you can make it up ahead of time)
  • Get some Word games and puzzle books at the dollar store
  • Have your child read a chapter of a book of their choosing and share their favorite part with the car. This can continue on and then maybe they can pick something that they would like to do at grandma’s or on the trip
  • Tell stories of when you were a kid and had fun adventures and/or got into some mischief. Kids love to hear about when you were kids
  • Start a story beginning with a sentence and then have each person add a sentence onto it (For example: I went to the park and saw a rhinoceros….then the next person adds a sentence.)
  • Listen to a book on tape as a family. Some good ones (adventure stories by Gary Paulsen, Treasure Island, Wrinkle in Time, the Spider wick Chronicles, The Red Pyramid -Kane Chronicles-book One, Chronicles of Narnia, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Book Thief.)

So give it a try. Good luck and happy travels. Have a wonderful summer with your family & friends and we look forward to seeing everyone again in September! 